Our mission

The mission of the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, or KBS, is to increase our understanding of natural and managed ecosystems and their linkages to society.

This entails three main integrative activities:

• Facilitate and conduct fundamental and applied research in ecology, evolution, agriculture, and conservation biology.
• Provide MSU students with inquiry-based educational opportunities in ecology, evolutionary biology, agriculture, and conservation biology.
• Provide outreach programs that bring KBS expertise to bear on environmental issues of public importance.

Our history

KBS is Michigan State University’s largest off-site campus and one of North America’s premier inland field stations.

The station is named for cereal magnate W. K. Kellogg, an early 20th-century entrepreneur who believed that people should use their gifts and knowledge to help others. He was also an environmentalist who understood the importance of preserving the land and its resources.

In 1927 and 1928 W.K. Kellogg donated the land and properties that now make-up the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary and the Kellogg Farm. Construction and landscaping of the Kellogg Manor House and Estate were completed in 1927. Combined, all three led to what became the Kellogg Biological Station.

Today KBS encompasses over 3,800 acres of land with diverse aquatic and terrestrial habitats and excellent research facilities supporting resident faculty and visiting researchers. The Station continues to offer summer courses for undergraduate and graduate students and year-round outreach programs for students of all ages and the public.

Detailed historical accounts

Visit the 90 Years: Then and Now and the Milestones pages for an abbreviated history. To delve more deeply into the Station’s fascinating past, read the book, “In the Founder’s Footprints: A History of Michigan State University’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station,” which was first published in October 2019.